Career Change

[Fel]

Hello Everyone,

 

Asking for some honest feedback/advice.

 

I’m fast approaching my 45th birthday and after spending most of my life behind a desk and slowly losing the will to live, I’m seriously considering changing careers and working as an arborist. I’ve had a good look around for training (based in the South East) and there’s some good options available for comprehensive training to get me qualified as a climber.

 

Before I make the jump and invest in the training, I really would like some help in understanding if it’s going to be a viable move for me. Realistically, what would someone in my position be earning annually coming into this industry (as a potential employee of a company/business)?

 

Also, what are your views of your career and day to day. I’d especially like to hear from anyone that’s been in a similar position to me.

 

Any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

Edited January 9, 2023 by Fel

[maybelateron]

If you are in decent health, no major muskuloskeletal problems (yet!), and are not afraid of hard graft in all weathers there is no reason why you could not change to arb work. It does not take long to get your basic tickets to allow you to climb, even with a chainsaw, but it takes a whole load longer to become a commercially viable climber (including domestic arb work). I only went into tree surgery at age 41, and I took at least 5 years (running my own business) to get to be a half decent climber. You need to spend some time as a groundie first, to get to know the ropes, no pun intended. Regarding income, rates vary from one area to another, and what level of competence/experience you can offer a potential employer. What sort of work behind a desk have you been doing?

[Mark Bolam]

I can’t think of a worse time in the last 10 years to be trying to get into arb, regardless of age or fitness.

[GarethM]

Maybe hedge you're bets and use your holidays for getting your basic chainsaw tickets before taking a leap from well paid desk job to low paid groundie 🙂.

 

At worst you'll be is a ticket carrying weekend warrior, it's a no loss kinda deal.

 

Once you've a few tickets you could always reassess and see about doing the office work with an arb company, kinda best of both worlds, especially when it's cold and miserable outside.

[doobin]

You'll be competing as a greenhorn (aged 45!!) with basic tickets and no experience, against a thousand fit, keen young lads with basic tickets fresh out of college- many with some experience having just been laid off from their first job as the recession starts to bite.

 

Can I have some of what you're smoking?

[topchippyles]

I thought his post was fair and asked for an honest opinion there are others on here who came into the arb game late on in their life and have made a go of it.

 

I am am not a tree surgeon like most of the guys on here its a very physical job and not for the faint hearted have you any experience in climbing ? 

[Mick Dempsey]

Anything is possible, well almost anything.

 

At your age I’d be looking elsewhere for a change of career.

 

It is physically quite hard in all weathers, not that well paid at the foot soldier level and a bit oversubscribed in the UK at least.

[Steven P]

If you are investing in your future, do you have the time left in a physical job to get that paid back? Training, lower earnings while you gain experience, possible time unemployed till you pick up work? Got to balance that against your mental health of course, might be that sitting at a desk for the next 20 years is too much to look forward to - and the financial risks will be worth that.

 

Might be as suggested above you do the training during holidays, get a feel for it before you leap, worst case is you paid for training - but then we all pay for stuff that interests us (whether it is learning new skills or beer). An alternative might be getting the tickets and volunteering at a local nature reserve that has trees - maybe get your mental health kick there, use the training and still have the financial backing you have now? Plus this is gaining experience for if you do make that leap in a year or so. 

 

Mind I am also quite cautious with some stuff

 

[Joe Newton]

1 hour ago, doobin said:

You'll be competing as a greenhorn (aged 45!!) with basic tickets and no experience, against a thousand fit, keen young lads with basic tickets fresh out of college- many with some experience having just been laid off from their first job as the recession starts to bite.

 

Can I have some of what you're smoking?

I'm sure most company owners would be keen to know where this thousand keen fit grafters are queueing up for work 🙄

 

If you're reliable and enthusiastic and don't mind a bit of graft you'll have no problem getting a few days here and there with a few firms, especially if you don't mind travelling a bit.

 

I'd suggest doing a few days before deciding if you want to invest in training.

 

Get yourself a lid and a pair of work boots, nobody likes that bloke that turns up in his reeboks.

[Guardian Forestry]

I was in a very similar situation and if you're thinking about doing it, just go for it. If you don't, you'll sit at your desk constantly wondering what if, all whilst you could have been out there doing it. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, and given that this will be a considered choice for you, rather than just someone looking for a job, you should be more likely to put the hard graft in to succeed. Make no mistakes though, it's hard work and you'll finish some days wondering whether you made the right choice but that again comes back to your current situation and how much you really want to make the change. Speaking from experience, the value my career now gives me, far outweighs what I had when I was earning three times as much but I would not go back to my old life.